Reflection of a Water Lily
by redbutterfly456
Summary: Falling in love: the condition where one becomes strongly attracted to one single person. Falling in love herself, however, was not part of Ami's plan. As guardian to the Moon Princess, she has enough to worry about. But what happens when she meets the charming playful General Zoisite of Earth? Follow their story from the Silver Millennium to Crystal Tokyo. AmiXZoisite.
1. Chapter 1

_Silver Millenium_

The library was completely quiet, save for the soft ruffling of pages being flipped. A soft breeze blew through the open window, ruffling the light blue hair of the massive library's sole occupant. A pair of glasses sat perched on the reader's nose, a slender finger reaching up to push them back into place from where they had slid.

"Hmm." The soft sound hummed in the girl's throat as her eyes perused the page.

"You look quite interested in that book." A voice interrupted the soothing tranquility that had taken over the library, and Ami nearly shrieked in surprise, her book slipping from her hands.

"Woah there." A hand reached out and caught the thick volume before it fell to the ground, and Ami looked up into a pair of twinkling green eyes.

"I'm sorry if I startled you." The young man standing behind her apologized, one hand pressed across his chest politely. Ami carefully studied the man who had startled her. He was wearing a gray colored uniform and a silver cape that flowed down to the ground from where it was attached at his shoulders. His light blonde hair was tied into a neat ponytail that draped down his neck, the contrasting color accenting his green eyes. Ami narrowed her eyes as she took her book from his hands.

"You are...from Earth." She observed, the gray uniform clicking into place in her memory. The young man grinned.

"You are correct!" He chirped, "What are you reading that's so interesting? My name is-"

"Zoisite." A new voice interrupted, and Ami looked up to see the Prince of Earth standing in nearby. She rose to her feet and curtsied smoothly.

"Your Highness." She greeted. Prince Endymion smiled politely in return before looking back at the young man by Ami's side.

"Zoisite." He said sternly, "I brought you here to help me in the alliance discussions, not to play with Princess Serenity's guardians." The young man, Kunzite, smiled innocently at his Prince's scolding.

"Master, this isn't called playing around." He replied with a cheeky grin, "I am simply getting to know the denizens of the Moon Kingdom. That will certainly help with your alliance talks, wouldn't it?" Endymion sighed and shook his head as he looked apologetically at Ami.

"Forgive him, Princess Mercury. This is one of my four generals, Zoisite. He tends to be rather playful, like a child. I hope he didn't interrupt anything important." He said. Ami smiled and shook her head.

"I was just reading, though he did startle me." She replied. Prince Endymion shot a look at Zoisite, who bowed his head but maintained his cheeky smile. The prince sighed and bowed to Ami.

"I will let you get back to your reading now." He said, "If you'll excuse us." Ami rose to her feet and bowed as the prince left. As he turned to follow his master, Zoisite turned his head to look back at Ami and grinned.

"May I come visit you again, Princess?" He asked. Ami blinked in surprise but nodded.

"If you would like to." She replied, "But I don't usually do anything very interesting besides reading and tutoring Princess Serenity." Zoisite smiled.

"I find you plenty interesting, Princess Mercury." He replied with a little wink, "I do like girls with short hair." A deep blush spread across Ami's cheeks, and she ducked behind her book to hide as Zoisite laughed in amusement.

"Zoisite!" Prince Endymion's sharp voice came from the doorway, and Zoisite hurried to meet his prince. The door shut quietly behind them, and Ami breathed a sigh of relief. Well, that had certainly been unexpected. Prince Endymion's general was quite unlike what she had expected. Based on her fellow guardians' run-ins with the other generals, she had expected something similar from all of them. The other generals were chivalrous, protective, and kind. But Zoisite...he was more like a child, curious about the world and anything new that he came across. Ami thought back to Zoisite's wink and blushed again.

 _A slightly flirtatious child, at that._

Ami smiled in amusement and resumed reading her book.

 _What an interesting man._

 _Earth_

Zoisite hummed a soft tune under his breath as he strolled down the palace hall after escorting Prince Endymion to his room.

"I heard you got scolded by Master again." A voice interrupted, and Zoisite looked up to see Kunzite lounging against the wall nearby. He shrugged noncholantly.

"It was nothing of great importance." He replied. Kunzite frowned.

"I wouldn't say that if I were you." He warned, "The Princess of Mercury is intelligent and wise, but it would not be in your best interests to start a dalliance with her." Zoisite laughed.

"I simply greeted her and inquired into what she was reading." He answered, "Isn't it too soon to start talking about romance? I simply find her an interesting person." Kunzite sighed and patted Zoisite on the shoulder.

"Just don't give her the wrong idea." The older general advised, "And don't go getting the wrong ideas into your head either. Prince Endymion's romance with the Moon Princess is troublesome enough." Zoisite nodded.

"Don't worry, I won't." He replied, "But Kunzite…" He leaned close to Kunzite's ear before continuing.

"Shouldn't you worry a little more about your blossoming romance with the Princess of Venus before you scold me?" He reminded. Kunzite's eyes widened, and Zoisite could swear he saw a blush flash across his friend's cheeks briefly.

"Figure out your own life first." Kunzite muttered as he ruffled Zoisite's hair before hurrying on down the hall. Zoisite stuck his tongue out at his friend's retreating figure.

"I could say the same to you." He muttered as he walked out into the garden. Zoisite closed his eyes and let the wind ruffle his hair, the loose strands tickling his cheeks. A little smile lifted up the corner of his lips as an image of a girl bent over a large textbook floated up in his mind, her slender fingers absentmindedly reaching up to tuck loose strands of short blue hair behind her ear.

 _Yes, what an interesting person indeed._

 _Two months later, Silver Millenium_

When Zoisite had asked if he could visit again, Ami had thought he had been asking for the sake of being polite. Certainly, a General, and one of Prince Endymion's bodyguards at that, had better things to do then to visit a girl who's greatest interest was learning.

 _Oh, how wrong I was,_ she thought as Zoisite appeared in the library doorway again, a little smile on his face as he bowed politely. Almost every time Prince Endymion made his usual visit to the Moon, Zoisite would appear, an impish grin on his face as he watched her read. Sometimes, he would ask her to explain things to him, and his eyes would light up in wonder as he finally understood. While Ami was used to teaching the younger royal children and sometimes those outside the palace, it was the first time a young man was so fascinated by her love for learning. And although she normally would have found the disruption annoying, she had to admit that when it wasn't Zoisite that accompanied the prince, his absence by her side was more than noticeable in the back of her mind.

"What are you reading today, Your Highness?" He queried curiously as he peered curiously at the book in her hands.

"The younger children were asking about various animals today." Ami replied, "So I decided I could brush up on my knowledge of the wildlife in this galaxy. Unfortunately, the Moon cannot support many of the animals in existence, so I can only bring physical examples of a limited amount of creatures into class." Zoisite peered at the page Ami had her book open to.

"Is that an African Grey Parrot?" He asked. Ami looked up in surprise.

"You know what this is?" She exclaimed. Zoisite smiled.

"Of course!" He replied, "In fact, I have seen the bird itself before." Ami's jaw dropped.

"Where have you seen it?" She demanded. Zoisite chuckled.

"In the palace menagerie. All kinds of exotic animals can be found in there." He replied. Ami's eyes widened and she clapped her hands in delight as the wheels began turning in her head.

"But of course!" She mused, "These parrots are from Africa, which is one of the Earth's continents. With all the space in the royal palace, of course the royal menagerie would be the best place to simulate the parrot's habitat features! Why didn't I think of that before?" She looked up to see Zoisite grinning at her, and her cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment.

"I'm rambling again, aren't I?" She mumbled. Zoisite shook his head, the smile staying firmly on his face.

"Not at all." He replied, "I have never seen a lady get so excited about an animal before. You are very special, Princess Ami."

 _Oh._

Ami felt her lips part slightly in surprise as her name rolled off his tongue. In the few months she had known him, Zoisite had never said her name before, but now that he had, she could almost swear there was something musical about the way he said it.

"Princess Ami?" Zoisite asked in concern, "Is something wrong?" Ami shook her head, struggling to gather her scattered thoughts.

"Um...c-can you show the bird to me the next time Princess Serenity visits Earth?" She stammered. Zoisite grinned.

"As long as you can make sure you're the one accompanying her." He replied, "It would be my honor." Ami nodded, her cheeks growing hot again as her heart started to pound. Zoisite stood and stretched.

"I think it's time I find my master." He said, "I will see you soon, Your Highness." Ami nodded again, folding her hands in her lap in some semblance of composure. She immediately fanned at her cheeks as Zoisite left, hurrying to open the window to catch the breeze.

 _What is wrong with me?_

Author's note: Welcome to my third installment of my senshi/shitennou series! All comments are appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

_A few weeks later, Earth_

Ami picked up her skirts and hurried along behind Princess Serenity as the Moon Princess nearly ran down the palace hallway in her rush to see Prince Endymion.

"Princess, please slow down! You're going to trip and hurt yourself!" Ami called. Serenity looked over her shoulder and laughed.

"Don't be silly! I'm not going to-" Before she even finished her sentence, Serenity tripped over the front edge of her long white dress, sending her tumbling forward and into the arms of Prince Endymion, who had just turned the corner.

"-trip." Serenity finished with a bashful giggle. Ami sighed in relief and curtsied to the prince.

"Your Highness." She said softly. The prince nodded, his attention already fully focused on Princess Serenity.

"Princess Ami." A voice spoke from behind Prince Endymion, and Ami's heart sped up slightly as she noticed that Zoisite had appeared behind his prince. He walked over and offered his arm to her.

"I believe the prince and princess will be busy for a little while. They will be safe inside the palace, so why don't we go to the menagerie?" He suggested. Ami's eyes lit up as she remembered Zoisite's earlier promise and nodded. Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion watched the two go, smiles playing on their faces.

"What do you think those two are up to?" Serenity asked. Prince Endymion chuckled and wrapped his arm around Serenity's shoulders.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure they'll be fine." He replied, "Zoisite may not look like it, but he knows how to treat women well."

"Ami- _chan_ doesn't know a thing about love." Serenity replied, "Zoisite has to be careful around her." Prince Endymion laughed and lead Serenity away.

"Who was saying anything about love?"

 _Menagerie_

Ami stared in amazement at the grey colored bird that Zoisite carefully placed on her arm inside the menagerie.

"Hello there." She cooed softly, using one finger to gently stroke the bird's soft feathers.

"Hello!" The bird squawked, "Hello!" Ami giggled in delight.

"They say that this bird is one of the smartest animals in the world." She said softly as she touched the bird's cheek, "I always wondered how they learned so quickly. Oh, I wish I could examine it more closely, but there's so little time for all that I want to do!"

"You can come as often as you'd like." Zoisite offered. Ami smiled wistfully.

"I couldn't do that." She replied, "It'd be too much trouble." Zoisite chuckled and gently poked at the bird.

"You should praise the smart princess sitting in front of you." He prompted the bird.

"Pretty lady!" The bird squawked, "Pretty and smart!" Zoisite's jaw dropped and Ami's cheeks turned bright pink.

"Who taught you to say that?" Zoisite shushed the bird, "That's embarrassing!"

"You said it." The bird squawked in reply, sending a pink tinge flushing around Zoisite's cheeks. Ami giggled awkwardly and looked away, suddenly feeling like butterflies were dancing in her stomach. She cleared her throat and looked up, eager to change the subject.

"It looks like it will rain today." She commented, looking up at the gathering clouds above the glass walls of the bird house. Zoisite cleared his throat and looked up to.

"Ah, yes." He agreed, "That would be um, quite a shame, wouldn't it?" They fell into an awkward silence as Ami scrabbled for something to reply with. Thunder suddenly crackled overhead, causing Ami to jump. Zoisite looked down at her.

"Are you scared of thunder?" He asked. Ami swallowed and shook her head, hiding her trembling fingers against the parrot's soft feathers. Another clap of thunder cracked overhead, this one loud enough to cause Ami to cry out and jump up from her seat. Her mind raced for something to hide behind, and the next thing she knew, she had her face pressed against soft, warm fabric, her trembling fingers gripping the silver cloth tightly. A warm hand patted her hesitantly, but gently on the shoulder.

"Princess Ami?" She heard Zoisite's voice say softly. Ami blinked, slowly taking in the situation. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she realized that not only had she grabbed onto Zoisite for protection, she had also buried her face into his shoulder!

"Oh..oh…!" Ami stammered nonsense as she backed away from Zoisite, her heart hammering in her chest.

"I'm so sorry!" She squeaked, turning away quickly in a useless attempt to hide her embarrassment. Ami slapped at her cheeks, willing them to stop feeling so hot. Still, her thoughts slowly wandered back to the touch of Zoisite's shoulder against her face and his hand on her shoulder.

 _It was warm...and kind...and strangely, it felt so...safe…_

Ami shook her head, clearing the thought from her mind.

"I should probably get going!" She declared, hurrying towards the door.

"Wait!" Zoisite's voice made her stop, and her breath hitched in her throat as she felt him place his hands on her shoulders. His voice was soft, almost hesitant, as he spoke.

"You can...depend on me, if you want." Zoisite said softly, "I will protect you, even if it's just from thunder." He turned her around and looked into her eyes.

"I don't know as much as you do, but...if you need protection, I will give it to you." He said earnestly, "I liked you a lot, Princess Ami." Ami gasped softly as he took her hand and placed it against his chest, where she could feel his heart beating as rapidly as her own. She swallowed hard.

"Zoisite- _san_ …" She said softly, unsure of how to express the emotions that were welling up in her chest. Zoisite pulled her in a little closer.

"Call me Zoi- _kun_." He murmured softly before his lips closed onto hers. Ami squeezed her eyes shut as her heart began pounding so hard, she was sure Zoisite could hear it loud and clear. His kiss was gentle, but hesitant, like a child trying something out new for the first time. Anyone could tell that he had never kissed a woman before. But...Ami thought back to how she had enjoyed having him visit her in the library, and how the way he said her name made it sound ten times better.

 _Is this...love?_

Ami was left breathless as Zoisite pulled away, and she poked experimentally at her lip before looking down shyly.

"My brain is sending signals to the adrenal gland to secrete hormones that flow through the blood." She mumbled. Zoisite tilted his head in confusion.

"Pardon?" He asked. Ami blushed.

"My heart is pounding." She explained. Zoisite's eyes lit up with understanding.

"Then...you like me as well?" He asked. Ami swallowed hard as she looked up at Zoisite's hopeful face.

"I...am not sure." She admitted honestly, "I've never felt like this before, but as to whether this is love or not, I cannot tell you that now." Zoisite thought for a moment, and then nodded.

"I understand." He said with a little smile, "I will wait for your answer." He clasped her hand lightly before letting go.

"But don't make me wait too long, okay?" Zoisite said hopefully, holding out a pinky. Ami allowed herself to smile a little and linked her pinky around his.

"Okay." She promised, "I won't."

 _Silver Millenium_

"No, not this one." Ami's fingers flew rapidly through the book's pages, her eyes quickly scanning the words for the information she needed. She yanked another book from the library shelf and rifled through the pages. A hand reached out, took the book from Ami's hands, and gently closed it shut. Ami looked up in surprise to see her fellow guardians standing in front of her.

"You guys…" She said softly. Minako sighed softly and placed the book on the table.

"No textbook is going to tell you the information you want, Ami- _chan_." She said softly, "When iet comes to love, the answer comes from here." The golden haired guardian reached out and pointed a finger at Ami's chest. Ami looked from one friend to the other.

"How did you know I was looking for that?" She asked. Rei laughed.

"Please, it's written all over your face." She said, swiveling a finger around Ami's face, "You're an open book, Ami- _chan_." Makoto sat down on the edge of the desk.

"Did General Zoisite confess to you?" She asked, "He's always in here when Prince Endymion comes to visit." Ami's cheeks flushed pink.

"...Yes." She mumbled. Minako squealed in delight and clapped her hands together.

"Then you must respond to his confession as soon as possible!" She declared, "He'll bring out all the fun in you. That way, you won't have to read books all day!"

"I like reading!" Ami protested defensively. Rei laughed and pulled Minako back.

"Enough." She chided, "But Minako is right. Textbooks are not going to tell you if you've fallen in love or not." Makoto reached over and grabbed Ami's hands.

"Which is why you need to come outside with us!" She declared, "You need to get some fresh air. It's so stuffy in here." Ami sighed and looked back wistfully at her books as her friends dragged her out of the library.

 _I suppose I'll have to find my answer later._

 _Earth_

Zoisite whistled cheerfully as he tucked the parrot back onto its perch after giving it some food.

"You are so naughty." He scolded the bird, "You embarrassed me in front of Princess Ami!"

"Good bird!" The bird squawked as it ruffled its feathers. Zoisite chuckled and patted the bird on the head.

"Yes yes, you're the best." He cooed softly.

"Are you talking to the animals again, General Zoisite?" A silky smooth female voice interrupted Zoisite, sending a shiver down his spine. He turned and smiled politely at the red haired woman standing in front of him.

"Lady Beryl." He greeted through gritted teeth. Beryl's red lips curled upwards into an amused smile.

"It seems that you have become quite attached to that little princess by the Moon Princess's side." She observed, "But if I were you, I'd keep far away from her." Zoisite hesitated, knowing it was better not to probe any further, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"What do you mean?" He asked cautiously. Beryl smirked.

"You know that the Moon has always been secretly spying on the Earth." She said as she circled to Zoisite's back, "Your little princess is the most intelligent person in the Moon Kingdom. Who do you think is leading the effort to watch the Earth?" Zoisite took a shaky breath as Beryl's cold fingers pressed against his shoulder.

"There is no evidence of either one of your allegations." He growled, "Watch your words, Lady Beryl." Beryl laughed.

"You can deny it all you want, General Zoisite, but when the truth is revealed, do not say that I didn't warn you. If you ever change your mind, you can always come to find me." She cooed. Zoisite closed his eyes and breathed out slowly as Beryl walked away. He could still feel the unnerving touch of Beryl's fingers on his shoulder, her cold breath tickling his ear. He clenched his hands into fists and quickly headed for his room. Beryl was often at the forefront of the anti Moon effort; it was no surprise that she would try to put him at odds with Princess Ami.

 _There's no way I'm going to let that woman sway my heart and mind._


End file.
